Bree
by Hannah-AngelOfMusic
Summary: Warning! Possible Eclipse Spolier Here! Who was Bree, before she was changed and eventually massacred by the Volturi. And what would happen if Carlisle was able to stop the Volturi from destroying her? P.S. Will probably go off the story, so be warned!
1. Chapter 1

**OK, the problem with this one. I haven't been to either NYC or Seattle, so I went with the cliched version of them. If it's completely incorrect, or I offend anyone with my view of the cities, it's entirely accidental. I'm just a simple country folkperson, with no knowledge of the big wide world!**

Bree walked down the dark alleys of Seattle, hugging her oversized coat closer around her small body. Her bright green eyes, while dimmed by false promises, still glinted slightly against the starlight. Her dark hair fell in waves about her shoulders, keeping the chill of her small, pale neck.

She sighed, fumbling for her keys as she reached her grimy, small destination. She shoved her shoulder into the door as it jammed, and she tumbled into the tiny, messy apartment, cursing as she went. She shrugged out of her coat, sending it tumbling to the floor, and immediately changed for bed. It was late, and she hated dwelling over the day she was leaving behind, rather dreaming of her childhood, back in Cheshire.

She closed her eyes, remembering herself and school friends running down the country lanes together, racing with the sheepdogs set loose among the sheep and cows. Hand in hand, shy children, boy and girl; share a small kiss under the brick bridge in the neighbouring fields around the house.

Bree played the memories back in her head, right up until the age of sixteen, where she would sing for everyone in the high school, in fact, the whole town. She relished in the memory of her first love, Daniel, who took particular interest and amazement in her voice. Grudgingly, Bree brought her thoughts up to date. Running away to America was not the best decision she could have made. Things were not going well at home, wanting to do nothing more than sing to earn her keep.

Coming to America could give the girl her dream. So she saved up her money, packed her bags, left a note and flew to New York, leaving her life, her friends, even her own name behind.

What was her name? Isabel Jane Norris. Very English. Too English. She wanted nothing to do with her old life, and her name was too much of a reminder of her childhood. So she changed to something a bit more American, and so far she seemed to be fitting in nicely. The girls at the bar, Hope, Carrie, Bryony and the others really made Bree feel welcome, even if they did speculate a little over her faked accent.

So when she arrived in New York, wide-eyed and thoughtful, and so small compared to the huge skyscrapers and busy people striding down the streets. She'd get lost time and time again, but within a few months, the wind had blown her to Seattle.

She found herself becoming increasingly unsafe in the big Apple, sleeping rough and earning a few dollars a week singing until her voice was hoarse on the cold winter streets. Now, in Seattle, she had found a steady job, singing and waitressing at this small darkened bar, and had earned enough money to buy a decent apartment. She was fairly content, but at those moments, when she was all alone, it was all she could do not to cry for loneliness.

If only she could just call her mum, to hear she was OK and not worrying about her. But she knew she couldn't, it would be too much for herself and her family to bear. So she suffered in silence, hoping the cramps of anxiety and she shivering would pass with time. Bree was seventeen, she needed to be alone, or she never would be able to.

So she ripped back the covers, and climbed uneasily into bed, humming unintelligibly and reaching for her book. She tutted, as she realised she had left the windows and door unlocked. She clicked them all shut; sighing as the slight breeze making her shiver even more than usual was forced out.

Whispers of the massacres and serial gang killings in the city hadn't been unnoticed by Bree, and she had reason to worry. She received more than her fair share of hungry stares and attempted gropes as she walked past in the bar.

As she settled into bed, and opening the folded page in her book, she thought about her years back in England. Especially that one memory she had of her and Daniel. She was on stage, singing 'Fields of Gold' by Eva Cassidy, with Daniel on guitar, and singing quietly in harmony with her. He had managed to record it, and he had listened to her sing it over and over. Bree remembered glowing with pride, as he had turned to her after the fourth time of listening.

"Ah, Izzy," He sighed, smiling at her, "I don't think I'll ever hear anything better than those notes. How do you do it?" Bree had grinned widely, and shrugged as a blush crept up to her cheeks. Daniel had then laughed, and continued to tweak with the record. Bree smiled as the warmth spread through her toes up to her chin through the thick duvet.

She wondered what Daniel was doing right now, wondering if he still thought of her, still listened to her songs whenever he could. Bree had loved him so much, knowing she'd never have his love in return, but accepting his obvious respect for her talent made her heart light up, even though she was thousands of miles away.

After reading a chapter of her book, barely paying attention to any of the words printed on the battered pages, she slipped into a blurred and confusing dream.

She dreamed that she was in a side alley, by a large dumpster. Her vision faded in and out of focus, her first sight from a standing position, the second, on the floor. She could not understand why, at first, but then, as the third vision blurred into sharpness, all she could feel was agony. Just writhing, and uncontrollable agony.


	2. Chapter 2

**OK, i don't usually like asking people to review, but i'm a bit nervous with this story. I would love it if you could just tell me as soon as possible if I should just stop. I'd hate to have an excruciatingly bad story on my conscience! Thanks :)**

Bree hung up her coat on her usual peg in the back room of the bar, the dream fading rapidly into her subconscious. She gave a quick nod of acknowledgement to the large bodyguard at the entrance, who returned it curtly, before tying the recently cleaned apron around her waist and heading to the bar area. Bryony grinned at her as she ducked under the shelf and automatically got herself a drink.

It was late afternoon, and there was hardly anyone here. But it was a Friday, bound to be packed in a few hours. Bree hummed a little under her breath, warming herself up while serving the few customers in there drinks. One by one, hour after hour, the bar began to fill.

The audience ranged from young boys of her own age (though she would never admit she was young to anyone) to old, balding, sleazy men. She winked at Carrie, who was waiting in the wings with her battered guitar, and Hope next to her, with a small tambourine. Hope waved the instrument in response, while Carrie just rolled her eyes and looked at the crowd.

I understood. 'Perv night at the Opera House.'

The night ticked by, darkness rolling in with every man sauntering past the bored bodyguard. Bree wasn't bothered in the slightest. She was used to seeing all these men trying to grope herself and her friends at any given moment. What she wasn't prepared for was the young woman standing in the corner alone, a full glass in her hands.

Although she was the most beautiful woman Bree had ever seen, there was a wide no-go zone around her. Her wild orange hair fanned about her like it was on fire, contrasting against her ghost white skin and…are her eyes red? Bree blinked hard and squinted again, but the woman had gone.

"And now, gentlemen, for your listening pleasure tonight, here is, the wonderfully talented, miss Bree Johnson!" Gary, the manager, wheezed into the microphone, signalling show-time for Bree. She ducked under the bar again, narrowly evaded some swipes for her bum, and stepped lightly onto the stage. She heard the guitar's intro from behind her, Carrie's silent ooh's harmonising with her upcoming song. Bree breathed deeply, and opened her mouth, sounding a clean sounding 'oh' from her lips.

The whole crowd fell silent, and Bree closed her eyes. This was the best part of the night for her, when the crowd remained in silent awe as she sang to them easily and beautifully. This way she could think about things, the only part of the night she could, without the pain of the memories affecting her.

She wondered what her voice sounded like to other people, as she'd always taken her gift for granted. She brought a vivid memory into her mind, when she'd asked Daniel what her voice was like. "It's like," he began, struggling for words, "it's like a bird. Stuck in a cage, and trying to break free, fluttering it's wings in frustration and stuff. That's the start of the song. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful. And then, it's like the bird breaks free, and it soars over everything, and your voice suddenly just goes, ah!" And he punched at his chest where his heart should be, and swooned theatrically. Bree had hit him playfully over the head then, and beamed brilliantly. Her head had ballooned that day.

Bree didn't even need to think about the song anymore, she had practised and performed it so many times it was as natural as breathing. The words, the melody, the little twists and slurs she had sneaked in when making it her own were all there; in her head and in her heart.

She opened her eyes just before the end of the song, and there, right in her line of vision, was the fiery headed woman. She was right at the back, with her head cocked to one side, her teeth bared in a satisfactory sort of way. When the last note sounded, and the applause erupted, the woman began nodding to herself, and licked her lips contemplatively.

Bree bowed slightly, and smiled shyly, before jumping off the stage, the hands now reaching out for a handshake or an autograph. She retreated to the bar, while Bryony leapt over to her. "Best night so far, Bree!" She smiled, clapping her hand onto Bree's shoulder. "You could hear a pin drop, the audience were so quiet!"

Bree laughed. "Thanks, Bry, shame there were no scouts here tonight right?

"I don't know, that woman over there looked very scouty." Bryony nodded her head at the woman, as Bree peered at her again. The woman seemed to be watching the next act, but every other second her eyes would flick over in Bree's direction. Bree shuddered nervously.

"No offence, Bry, but I wouldn't go near her with a ten foot barge pole!" She said quietly, and looked away, forcing herself to keep her eyes on her shaking hands as she served the drinks.

"I'll see you tomorrow, everyone. Have a nice night!" Bree closed the door on a chorus of farewells and walked the familiar way home. She rounded the corner, coming face to face with the orange-haired woman. Bree gasped instinctively, and the woman smiled jeeringly. Bree returned the smile, and walked past, quickening her steps. The woman followed.

"You're Bree Johnson, are you not? You performed at that club tonight?" She asked, matching Bree's fast paces, as if they were too slow for her. Bree nodded slightly and tried to speed, but her legs were practically whining to slow. The woman did not seem bothered.

"My name is Victoria. Your voice is very pleasing, very inspiring. You have a gift." Bree slowed, thinking it over. If this woman was in fact a talent scout, then this woman would also be her ticket out of here, to stardom, and to recognition, where she wanted to be.

"Thank you very much, Victoria." Bree responded, forcing a smile onto her shivering lips. The woman radiating cool air into the space around her. That was probably why no one stood around her in the bar. Or perhaps there was another reason.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me, Bree." She said, her face calculating and her words slow and thoughtful, as if she were choosing the right words to say. Bree looked into the woman's eyes. Yes. Blood-red, exactly as she had seen. "So you are a talent scout." Bree breathed, a smile playing on her lips.

Victoria threw back her head and barked laugh. Bree froze in panic, the reaction not what she was anticipating. "No, not exactly." The woman laughed, and Bree's skin crawled.

"Look, mate, I don't want to get involved in anything risky," Bree began, her Cheshire accent creeping back as she panicked, "I just want to sing, I don't want me life ruining by the likes of dodgy talent scouts." Again, Victoria laughed, and Bree picked up her pace, as if it would help.

"Unfortunately, Bree, you don't have a choice." As the words escaped the full red lips, Victoria threw Bree into a darkened alley as they passed. Bree yelped and began to scream, but Victoria's freezing hands swept over her eyes and mouth.

She tried wrestling against her, but the woman was unbelievably strong. She twisted her head, as Victoria's hand slipped from her eyes, and she saw the dumpster from her dream. Victoria's hair quickly swept into view then, and her head bent low over Bree's neck and panicking chest. She knew what was about to come next.


	3. Chapter 3

The pain! Oh my God, the pain! Bree felt the odd sensation of flying through the excruciating heat burning from her core, spreading to every inch of her person. _I suppose Heaven is above the clouds then, _she thought, right as the fire licked at her nerves in the brain, and her fingers flexed and curled unintentionally. She tried to hold still, that way the fire did not ignite faster, but the flying sensation sped into an intensity, and her hair whipped about her cheeks, a cool release from the combustion burning her insides.

She fought the urge to agree with the flying theory; she was not dead, was she? Not yet anyway. And what if she wasn't going to heaven? She had ran away from home, leaving her frantic parents and family behind, for what? For a crappy flat and a dirty old pub for the rest of her life. No, she wasn't going to heaven. If only she'd said something before to her parents. If only she'd- AAAAHH!

Her whole body was charring! Her skin was turning black and her hair was fading to dust! How to stop this? Bree held in her screams as best as possible and squeezed shut her eyes. The flying stopped, and a hard fiery ground hit her back, although it was more of a comfort rather than an additional pain. Murmurs of voices jostled closer and a cooling ring formed around her.

OK, not Heaven. Hell. She prepared herself as best as she could, and flicked her eyes open. She barely had time to see anything before the fire burned through her eye sockets and licked at the bones. It was too hard not to scream, as she opened her blackened lips and let out a piercing wail. She did not stop for three days.

Whispers proved she was still alive after all the screaming and burning. And a cool breeze proved the fire had been extinguished after three long days, although what remained she could only dread. She tenderly flexed her fingers...nothing. And again...nothing. No fire, and most definitely no pain. It was almost as if, there never was any pain, nor will ever be.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and found she could not. Her eyelids shot into her head and she jumped up in fright, taking gasps of air scanning the area. Pale white figures danced around her in swirls of colour, black eyes darting over her body. She whipped herself around as she heard footsteps behind her, wary of everything, everyone. Still, beautiful pale faces framed by beautiful colourful hair, their eyes echoing a sense of silent awe for her.

Why? She didn't know. Behind her, she heard a light footfall as someone advanced. She whipped around and snarled, before covering her mouth with her hand, surprised of what she had done. A small dark haired girl smiled nervously at her, as if anticipating her reaction. She gently held out a small mirror to Bree, and she accepted it, unsure of what she would see after she had burned.

She looked, blinked once, blinked twice, before letting out a frightened shriek. A second passed her lips as the mirror crumbled to sand in her palm. She streaked around the room, looking for some sort of exit, any way to get out of the strange cavernous 'lair' she found herself in. Strong arms tried to pin her down, but they were no match for her strange strength. She screamed loudly, while the walls screamed back mockingly, before she was finally wrestled onto the floor by six or seven heavily built men. She let out one final moan, before admitting defeat, curling into a ball on the floor and sobbing.

The weight released her, yet she remained curled up on the floor, until a bony hand pulled her up and charged her down a darkened corridor. Strangely, Bree could see where she was going. She had shed no tears.

Thousands of nonsense thoughts flitted through her head, but none so difficult to banish than what she saw in the mirror. The flawless ivory skin, wrapped around perfectly structured jaw and cheekbones. Hair glossy brown and curled, stretching down her back, glancing off her hips. Her lips were full and red, an enormous contrast to the snowy skin. All of these she welcomed with shock and bewilderment, but what horrified her, the thing that made the glass crumble under her suddenly supernatural strength and the seven strong men to keep her confined on the floor, was the night-black eyes staring back at her.

They did not echo the shock that dripped through her body like white hot molten liquid, they preferred to stare back. Cold, empty, and dead. So she had died. But perhaps not the normal way, the part where she was escorted by a choir of angels up a golden stairway to the great gates of Heaven had been missed out. Instead she found herself in the darkness, being pulled along by Victoria into a large room, filled with mirrors, and thrown to the floor.

Bree shivered, but did not make a break for the door. Victoria tsked at her and pulled her into a standing position, and stepped back warily. After a moment she spread her hands wide, and raised her eyebrows. "What are you waiting for, Isabel?" She asked, and Bree opened her mouth to ask how she knew her name, her real name, but the fire returned to her throat as soon as she opened her airways, and she felt uncontrollably weak.

Victoria rolled her blood-red eyes, and strode across to her, grabbing her shoulders. "I know a lot about you, Isabel. I took the liberty of finding everything about you in the three days you were...incapacitated. So before I find you someone to eat, I want you to sing for me. I want to know if my struggles paid off as well as I thought they would."

Bree winced as she said 'someone', and brought her fears to life. Vampire. Still no tears. There never would be ever again. Victoria interrupted her thoughts by placing a long finger onto her cheek and looking into her with matching cold eyes. "Sing. Now." Victoria murmured sternly. Bree winced as the fire returned to her throat, and opened her mouth to sing. Nothing could have prepared her for what she heard.


	4. Chapter 4

At first Bree thought she was flying again, except this every cell of her body was soaring to a different pattern, a different melody. When she opened her mouth to sing, a blizzard of different notes shook their way out of her mouth, each twisting and turning and echoing around the room. Bree felt every pore inside her bristle and glow as the notes breezed through her easily.

She was shocked as she heard herself, and almost considered stopping, but the very thought scared her, as if nothing was more important. She listened to the words and the melody; it was not familiar. She did not even have to concentrate, the song just came to her and passed through her as easy as breathing. Or not, in her case. Bree laughed at this as she continued, and the song delighted in her laughter, interpreting it into the music.

She looked around her, at Victoria, and the others assembled by the open door. Victoria's eyes were extremely wide, her forehead creased, as if she was concentrating hard. Bree realised why as she looked again at the crowd by the door. They all had closed their eyes, and were suspended in stillness. Bree frowned, ad took a step towards them, unsure of what they were doing. They still remained motionless. She thought about stopping, and asking them to move, but the song was two steps ahead of her. The melody changed to a harsher tone, and the mysterious words changed also. Almost immediately the crowd straightened, and moved to the opposite side of the room, each pair of eyes still closed. Bree's eyes darted in shock back to Victoria, whose eyebrows were higher still, arched in wonder.

She called out in a slurred voice; "Tell…tell them to run around the room as fast as they…they can." Bree nodded, and the song took on a staccato beat, swirling around the room in a mad frenzy. Almost matching this, the crowd became a blur as their dark shapes bounced off the walls. Victoria's bewildered laugh came out as a liquid slush from her mouth. Bree slowed the runners and they stood, still entranced by the magic of the music. "Now…" Victoria said, her eyes starting to unfocus, "Now tell them to kill Maria."

Immediately Bree forced the song to stay under control as it fought to climb to its highest points in the ultimate control it had over the vampires. Bree glared in disgust at the woman, and Victoria hissed in annoyance, waving her hand uneasily to signal to Bree to stop. Unwillingly, Bree obliged, and the crowd opened their eyes uneasily, then a chorus of snarls and hisses rose up from them as they realised what had happened to them.

Without the song, Bree suddenly felt extremely weak, and the burning in her throat roared into life. "Now please," she whispered, falling onto her knees, "Please get me something to…to…" Victoria nodded once, and clicked her fingers at two in the crowd, they ran out of the doors and came back almost immediately with a young woman, her hands still full of shopping.

"Where the hell am I?" She screamed frantically, holding the bags in a fighting pose. Bree eagerly watched the blood flowing through the suddenly paper thin skin, and she dove for the throat. In less than ten seconds, the woman was bled dry. Bree wiped her hand across her mouth, then looked in horror at what she had done. The woman, now grey and flimsy without any blood, was gazing in her death out of glassy brown eyes. Bree thought suddenly about her family, her life, her job. Did she have a husband? A child? A whole family, even?

Bree looked at her bloodied hands in disgust, and threw herself at the wall. The others looked at her in confusion as she beat her suddenly stone head at the wall. After a long session of self harm that was failing at its job, she turned to Victoria, who looked slightly amused. "Look at what you have done to me." Bree hissed through her teeth, her hands shaking in anger.

Victoria made no comment, but slowly made her way over to Bree, before putting both hands on her shaking shoulders. "Indeed," she whispered, her tone almost loving, "But look what you have become. A dark angel with a voice to match. Look what you can do. A few unnecessary humans was all that it takes. Isabel," Victoria whispered, using her real name, "I have made you so you can help me. You see, not long ago, a man I knew was murdered in cold blood. By a large coven of vampires in Forks. We need revenge, and if you help me, then think of everything that I can do for you. Just think of the possibilities I have opened for you. And all I ask is that you grant me this one favour. Please?"

Victoria looked at her pleadingly, as if the tearless vampire was actually about to weep. Bree's still heart melted towards her. She wondered what the evil coven looked like. Draped in shadows, with their eyes glowing a fiery red in contrast to their beautiful ruby. These evil men who would outright murder an innocent man, they would look like Satan's minions himself. She became decided. "What is it that I must do?" Bree asked, and Victoria's smile flickered a little. "They have a human girl with them. A horrible woman with a dark soul. She is with them as if she does not care that they are monsters. She started all the trouble and her evil head killed James. Now we must destroy her, before she does any more damage!"

At this Bree shuddered. She looked again at the lifeless woman on the floor, her eyes staring at nothing and her hands still gripping at her shopping. "She is a human? And she is obviously loved by these people. I don't think I can do that to someone, Victoria. It is not in me." Victoria's brow creased in an impatience which Bree did not understand. However her forehead smoothed out, and she looked up, her eyes glowing.

"I doubt they love her," she began, choosing her words carefully, "I have seen her once. Not so pleasing to the eye, even with eyesight as good as ours. But her blood, is that a smell!" At once Bree's body stiffened. Although she had drained the poor woman of any life she had in her, the thought of blood made her want more and more. She cocked her head to the side, as if trying to smell the girl from here. Victoria smiled, and nodded.

"Rather like lavender, as I recall. A beautiful, flowery smell. And warm, extremely warm. Rather young, brewed in Phoenix!" Her joke made her cackle manically, but Bree did not care. All she could care about was the taste of the girl's blood on her tongue, as it slipped down her throat. Bree shuddered again, and Victoria took both her long hands in her own. "So," she murmured, her eyes never leaving Bree's, "Are you in?" Bree needed no time to think, the thought of the smell was enticing enough.

"Just give me her blood, and I'll do it." Bree whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

The weeks passed quickly as Bree came to terms with what she was. She slowly got used to her sharp eyesight and sense of smell. She learnt quickly, choosing to learn more rather than go into Seattle and massacre the innocent pedestrians. Her new friends would laugh at her, calling her 'the tamest newborn with the greatest thirst.' And she did. She thirsted all the time, but was too afraid to kill as much as the others, in case it was someone she knew.

She usually went out in the night, killing anyone in her path with as much ferocity and greed as she had that haunting first time. Her eyes would then glow red and she'd moan and writhe with what she had done. However, the agony was saved for night-time, and the day was spent fighting and building up her hatred of the evil vampires who had killed Victoria's mate. Bree did not particularly like Victoria; she would watch the fiery haired woman prance around the caves they habited, whispering in the men's ears and pledging her love for each and every one of them. They would all follow her words blindly, and yet Bree did not fall for it.

The only thing that kept her tied to Victoria was the hatred of the coven, headed by a man named Carlisle. Bree also thirsted for their human's blood. The way it sounded to her, it was a miracle the coven had not taken her life yet! But Victoria had promised Bree she would get half of the girl's blood, shared only with Victoria herself. Bree found that she was useful to Victoria, the most useful, in fact. None of the other newborns had the ability she had, and that meant Bree ranked second-in-command. If anyone stepped out of line, Bree was the person they would call to put things right. Her hypnotic voice managed to put everyone in their place.

Bree only missed being able to sing normally. Her talent had proven so raw she could not yet harness it, and though she could begin to sing easily, it would always develop into that unknown language and the hypnotic melody of its own, causing everyone around her to groan, struggle, and then fall under her spell.

She would leave them to float around aimlessly as she continued to sing, before releasing them to a chorus of hisses and angered murmurs. That was the price to be able to feel like herself in some ways. Her whole being was tortured by what she had to do to survive. She hated that she had to feed on the living, despite being a newborn.

It was odd that she felt such remorse after she had killed, as none of her friends joined her in her sorrows. Crouching in the glow of a flickering lamplight, Bree pushed the mangled corpse off herself in disgust, trying to rub the blood off her hands and jaw. A figure closed in on her, so fast it could not have been a human, and sat down next to her. Grace. A small girl with red hair down to her waist in a plait, and Bree's best friend in the small group. She looked down at the corpse, sucked dry of blood, of life, and raised her eyebrows. "You gonna finish that?"

Bree hissed, and Grace put her hands up, rolling her eyes. Bree crossed her arms over her hunched up legs and buried her head, while Grace rolled her eyes. "This is what we have to do, Bree. You know that. And it tastes so good! You can't deny that!" She slapped Bree's leg lightly, before bounding to her feet. Bree glared at her.

"Does it matter whether it tastes good, Grace? We are killing innocent people! They may have families, jobs, have done good things! And we are taking it away from them! We're murderers!" Bree was on her feet now, her red eyes widened with rage and passion. Grace cowered a little, before regaining posture.

"Do you suggest another way, Bree? Listen. Once we're done with this Olympia coven, you take off. I'll cover for you. Take off on your own and see what you can do, if there's any way around this. Because I know you'll never be happy living like this." Bree stared wide eyed at her friend, before hugging her tightly, both matching each other in vicious strength.

"Thank you, Grace. Thank you so much." Bree whispered, letting go of the girl. They smiled at each other before taking off running, the corpse in tow, ready to burn it and leaving the city without approaching anyone else. By the time they reached home, everyone was gathered around Victoria, who was standing atop a large rock, making a large speech.

"My children," she cried, her eyes sweeping the crowd before resting on Bree, "we have arrived at the day we have talked about for many weeks. Now is the time for our vengeance to be exacted!" The newborns cried all around, screaming and yelling in excitement. Bree felt a slight pulse of fear run up and down her spine, and she tightened her hold on Grace's hand, who squeezed gently back.

"Tomorrow we go to Forks, and destroy the coven. Yes, some of you may not make it out alive, but you will all be remembered by me and your peers, and by James. He is why we are doing this, and he is smiling for us!" Again the newborns screamed, edging in closer to the rock Victoria used as her stage.

Bree found her chance to leave, and silently she escaped down a small tunnel to a smaller cave. She crouched there, the fear still zipping up and down her spine, as she hummed under her breath, both calming herself and trying desperately hard not to unleash her power. Bree must save that for tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hope it doesn't affect anyone's reading pleasures, but I'm switching to first person. I keep doing it accidentally and it's getting on my nerves. If anyone doesn't like it, just give me a shout, and I'll change back =]**_

We crossed over the mountains into the area, losing a few of us as we argued amongst each other. Well, I say we, I stayed well away, unless called upon to calm the situation. The smells there were overwhelming, a variation of so many flavours, so many beating hearts practically screaming at us to stop them.

It wasn't like Seattle, although very varied, Forks was so obviously a place of…strangeness. We crossed through down into the valley fairly quickly for the size of our group. Victoria always at the head, though I realised with humour the closer we got, the more she shrank back towards the end. I stayed in the middle, concentrating all my effort into keeping the song under control. There were some days I was concentrating so hard, whenever someone called my name, a stray note would escape my lips, and the people surrounding me would stumble a little, and hiss at me. Most of the times though, I kept myself in check.

Our company swarmed down into the woods, and the scents that hit us were the worst yet. A mixture of smells from our own kind were there, mixed with a hideous smell which I could not place. I sniffed more deeply, searching past the two horrible scents, until I could smell the most intoxicating smell I had ever encountered. As Victoria had said, a lavender smell. It took every fibre of my being to hold myself in place, but the rest went screaming into the woods, scattering among the many different trails the scent lead them to. I staggered towards a tree, gripping at it with such force the weak thing snapped in half. I crouched down, focusing on the others. The murderous vampires.

My anger was enough to stop me from running off with the others, and Victoria reached out towards me. "Bree, you stay back from the fight." She said simply, her eyes cold as she got nearer to her enemies. "If anything goes wrong, I'm sending you in to finish them off. I want a little fun with them first."

She smiled manically, and the expression shook me. But I nodded dutifully, and caught up with the some of the others. When I arrived, the scene was chaotic. The whole group of us were being torn apart in front of my eyes, and I could do nothing to stop it. My eyes grew wide as I took in huge wolves ripping at the flesh of my allies, their snarls slashing at the air as they slashed through our flesh like cloth. I looked around me, Victoria was nowhere to be seen. I hovered at the edge, just out of sight, unsure of what to do.

How the hell was I supposed to know when it was going wrong? Victoria had told us nothing of what was going through her mind. I fought back moans of grief as I watched Grace's head being ripped from her shoulders and rolling away down the slope. I cringed, helplessly, shaking behind a tree, until the last scream echoed through the woods, cutting into silence. All I could hear was the heavy panting of the wolves and the enemy vampires in unison. If I'd had a heart, it would have stopped beating. Strewn around me were all my companions, however much I refused to be like them, there they were. Dead.

A sudden fury built up inside of me. Not only did this satanic coven kill Victoria's mate, they also massacred twenty of their own kind! I screamed and charged at them, not caring if I died, but I found myself thrown onto the floor, the vampires looming over me. The fury melted away into panic. What had I done? I could've gone away, found another way to live, just like Grace said. But no, trust the newborn to mess everything up! The tallest vampire with white-blonde hair spoke first. I flinched. "What is your name?" I looked at him warily before answering.

"Bree," I murmured, inhaling sharply. Instantly, the sweet lavender taste hit my tongue as it burst into flames. My moan turned into a hiss as I writhed in agony, looking for the source. I couldn't fight it anymore, not while it was so close. I turned onto my side and saw the cause of the thirst. A small brown haired human. If I had been like her, she would easily have been exactly the same as me, but I wasn't like her. Not anymore. I was stronger, faster, thirstier. I jumped to my feet in a frenzy, trying to throw my way through the crowd of vampires.

One of the sandy coloured wolves roared, and the vampires pushed me back down onto the floor. I quickly had time to think of myself as her, and the remorse set in immediately. Well, enough to keep me on the floor. "How can you stand it?" I wailed, the fire licking at the insides of my throat. The one who spoke before knelt down to me, reaching out to me. He called over his shoulder to the one standing with the human.

"Edward, keep Bella away." So the mortal had a name. That made it a little easier.

"Take me away from here so I can explain," I whispered, "I can't…I can't concentrate. I'm so sorry." The man frowned, but nodded, taking a firm grip on my arm. The vampire called Edward back away, protectively shielding Bella. I could not muster the concentration to be confused, I only wished they would take me away. The man opened his mouth to say something, but looked over my shoulder. I turned around, unsure of what I would see.

Black billowing cloaks swirled in a mist, floating towards us. Their deep red eyes stood out, looking at the scene around them. "Jane," the man nodded, politely, but unable to hide the frustration in his voice. The tiny girl at the front of the group nodded, smiling. She looked over at the human Bella, and the smile flicked back into a grimace. She then turned her attention to me, and she cocked her head. "A survivor, Carlisle?" She asked mockingly. She took a step forward, and I jumped nervously, placing a hand tightly on Carlisle's arm. The vampires all around me hissed in unison, though my hand remained on his arm. He grimaced a little, but his hand came to rest on my own. It felt safe.

"Let me deal with this newborn, Carlisle." The girl ordered, though she was about half the mass of the vampire called Carlisle. Carlisle laughed quietly, and shook his head.

"No need, Jane. We can take care of her perfectly fine."

Jane stiffened. "Aro said-"

"I'm sure Aro will be fine with this. After all, you never know what he may find in her. You know how he likes his…talents." The vampires behind him laughed quietly, and I missed the joke. The burning was getting worse, and my knees were seeming to buckle under me. It was Carlisle's hand on mine alone that was keeping me sane, for some reason.

Jane turned her head to the others behind her, and they shrugged. Edward hissed behind me, as they turned back to Carlisle. "Alright then, Carlisle, you can keep her. I doubt it'll do you much good. She'll probably run off on a rampage, anyway. You keep her in check, or it's your head on the platter." She smiled again, nodded her head to the rest of them, and melted away into the darkness. The vampires breathed a sigh of relief, but I was still holding my breath.

"Great, Carlisle. Great. What are we supposed to do with her now? We can't keep her here, not with Bella…" I didn't listen. I had to get away from her scent. I reluctantly took my hand off Carlisle's arm, and he looked down at me, genuine concern hanging on his face. I shook my head. "I have to get away from the smell, sir." I held my breath again, and ran as fast as I could, away from the strange congregation. I stopped around five miles away, where her smell wasn't so potent, yet I could still faintly hear them.

I heard light footsteps coming towards me. I turned away from Carlisle, and stared at my hands. He knelt down beside me. "Bree?" He asked, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. I wished I could cry, just to let the anger flow from me. "I'm a complete coward." I whispered, my hands beginning to shake. "I let them all die. Victoria told me to hang back until she asked me to fight, as a last resort weapon. She didn't want me getting killed when I have my gift. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." Carlisle's hand stiffened on my shoulder, and I buried my face in my hands.

"What you did," he began, slowly, as if thinking about the words, "was extremely brave, Bree. A newborn can't do that! But you did. That's not cowardly. And none of us were hurt, on our part anyway." I looked up at his face, noticing for the first time his eyes. They were not the deep red I first imagined them to be, but a deep gold, liquid and warm.

"Your eyes," I began, and he quietly laughed.

"Why are they gold? My family and I decided long ago we would not kill humans to survive. Instead we took on animals as a substitute. The blood turns our eyes golden rather than red." My eyes widened, and I saw the red in them reflected in Carlisle's eyes. Suddenly I knew who the monster was.

"I'm sorry," I stammered, repeating myself, "Victoria told us you were evil, I should never have believed her. The truth was right there, in her face-!" Carlisle shushed me quietly, and held me in an embrace. I fought the instinct to hiss and attack, feeling safe in his fathering arms. He looked at me. "Bree," he began, and I looked at him, wondering, "there is always a place for you in our home. You know that we keep company with a human, and that may be too much for you right now. I'm willing to go away with you and help you control your thirst, and the pain. But you must live by our rules, and that's drink only the blood of animals. Can you promise me that? Bella is too important to us." I thought about it for a while, remembering the fire.

I shuddered, but nodded, sure that I could conquer this. Carlisle said I was strong willed for a newborn, and if they could do it, so could I. Carlisle smiled and helped me to my feet. I swayed a little, and propped myself up against a tree. Carlisle laughed warmly, and I joined in, a little. "You're English?" Carlisle asked, and I realised for the first time my accent was not hidden under the musical sound of my voice as it used to be. I nodded, unsure of why he brought it up. He smiled. "Cows and Sheep. Brilliant. We'll start there."


	7. Chapter 7

The Cullen's, as they became known to me, were, for the most part, angry that Carlisle had welcomed me into the family so readily. They considered me the enemy, and that I should not be trusted, and they didn't mind being open about it in front of me. Each syllable stung as I took the anger. Only the little black haired girl, Alice, and Jasper, her mate, seemed alright with me, besides Carlisle.

I found out that Jasper could read emotions, and my feelings of regret seemed enough to assure that I would not hurt them. He stayed away though, as although my emotions proved my innocence, were not altogether pleasant for him to empathise with. _'I should have to remember that when I come back from England'_ I thought to myself as we approached the gate. Edward snorted and moved back to Bella, who was standing a good way away from me. I had forgotten he could read minds, a prominent factor that shouldn't have been forgotten on my part.

I had had a go at feeding on animals, so I wouldn't get hungry on the plane and massacre the pilot, but I was struggling with the scents all around me in the airport, let alone Bella's, whose scent Victoria had tuned us into. I shook my head to remove thoughts of Victoria and the 'army', and gripped my fake passport tight in my hands. Alice fluttered her hand, a huge grin spreading across her face as we handed in our tickets. I smiled shyly back, although I wasn't completely sure she was smiling at me.

Alice had been polite enough with me for the few days I had stayed at their house, though she had seemed a little wary of me. I found that she could see the future, and when I cautiously asked her about my future, she said with badly hidden confusion that she could not see it. She quickly resolved herself, saying it was because no decisions had been made properly about me. I let the matter drop, seeing as it made her a little uncomfortable. I didn't want to make anyone else feel like that when I returned.

We boarded the plane with ease, my throat burning a little with the mixture of human scents. Carlisle and Esme were sitting in the seats around me, to restrain me if needs be. I had a bag of werewolf hair around my neck to bury my nose in if I had to, which I hoped beyond hope I wouldn't have to do. The werewolves had been even more hostile than the Cullens towards my immediate welcome into the family, and it had taken a lot to even get the younger one, Seth, to shed some of his fur for me. Apparently he was the most hospitable towards the vampires!

I hmphed a little, and both Carlisle and Esme placed a protective hand on each of my knees. I stiffened, and was glad I couldn't blush.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking." Esme sighed in relief and went back to her magazine, flicking through it at hyper speed. Carlisle smiled.

"You're doing excellently, Bree. Well done. I wouldn't have travelled like this if I knew you couldn't do it!" I smiled back, his encouragement seeping into me, warming me. I pulled out one of the twelve books I had brought with me for the long flight, and dove straight into it, keeping the pouch of werewolf hair in my hand just in case.

We arrived at John Lennon Airport on time, with no problems. The hardest was when the air hostess leaned over to me and asked, very politely, stupid cow, if I would like anything. I grimaced, stiffening and shaking my head, unable to breathe. She glanced quickly at Carlisle, confused and a little taken aback, who shook his head, smiling. "Sorry, afraid of heights."

"Ah." She replied, and reached over to touch my arm in sympathy. Carlisle put his hand up just in time.

"Really afraid." He repeated. The woman nodded and walked quickly to the end of the plane. I stuffed the hair into my nose and mouth, breathing in the disgusting smell until the burning had almost ebbed away. Carlisle clapped his hands quietly, as Esme rubbed my knee soothingly. We drove out of the airport and past the yellow submarine in a midnight blue sports car, to keep up appearances, and I sighed happily as I recognised Liverpool, home of the Beatles, Scousers and all that jazz. We drove away, paying the toll to get out of Liverpool. I beamed when I saw Carlisle pay in pounds, I hadn't seen sterling in almost a year!

The scenery changed into green fields, cows and tractors, as we sped into Cheshire. I leaned forward in my seat to talk to Esme. "Where about are we staying?" I asked eagerly, nearly hopping up and down in my seat. Esme turned and smiled at my spectacle. "Just outside of Chester. We bought a farmhouse with some land, and we purchased some cattle as well for you to practise on. When you've got it sorted we'll move into the city, so you can test yourself in there!"

I swallowed the lump on nerves in my throat as I thought of how close to home I would be. If I couldn't handle it, would one of my victims be someone I knew? Esme guessed what I was feeling and smiled reassuringly. "We won't put you or anyone else in danger, Bree. We promise you that. We won't go into the city until you're ready for it." I nodded, and thought of something.

"I want to thank you for welcoming me into your family so gracefully. I know that the others don't trust me, but I will really try to fit in with the Cullens." Esme and Carlisle nodded, both of them, including Carlisle who should've be watching the road, turned round and smiled at me.

"I want to start again at this vampire stuff. You know, forget the, er, the 'army' stuff. So my name kinda isn't Bree. I changed it when I left home. It's more like Isabel Jane." Esme and Carlisle exchanged confused looks, while I pulled my gaze down to the floor of the car. The silence only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was torture.

"Well, we can't really call you Isabel, because Bella's full name is Isabella. Much too confusing," Esme thought practically, "Is Jane alright with you?" I looked up at her understanding, kind hearted face and nodded eagerly, happy to be accepted. She smiled back, and Carlisle nodded in approval. I settled back in my seat, grateful for the kindness and forgiveness the couple had shown me, and gazed out of the window, lost in thought.

_There has been a lot of nodding today. So much approval. Good._


	8. Chapter 8

My eyes narrowed, taking in the lush green surroundings around me, covered by a misty grey dome of clouds. A light drizzle slowly soaked me, yet I took no notice. All I saw in front of me was a small group of deer in the clearing of the woods.

They grazed, unsuspicious of anything watching them from the bushes a little further away. I shifted my weight backwards into my crouch and prepared to lunge. I felt Carlisle and Esme's eyes on my back as I sprinted out of the bushes, forcing myself forward.

I had my sights set on one of the males closest to me, and I tore towards it with a ravenous ferocity. The poor thing didn't even have chance to look up as my teeth snarled straight into its neck. I had got so practised at it, not a drop of blood was spilt. Instead of feeling a little nausea, as I would have previously, I felt an absolute flash of euphoria at the thought of myself succeeding to go against the vampire curse.

I dropped the carcass on the floor, and shivered in anticipation at the thought of going into Chester tonight. After only a few weeks, Carlisle thought I was ready to go into the city without posing a threat, and I desperately didn't want to let him down.

The other deer scattered, and I heard Carlisle and Esme take one deer each out and wrestle them onto the ground easily. I looked at Carlisle expectantly, and he rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. As long as you're full you can go home and get ready." I beamed and hugged him happily, hardly bothering to check if any passers-by were around to witness the blur that I was as I ran back to the farm.

In thirty seconds I was in the farm and up the stairs in my room rummaging about for some clean clothes. Spotless eating manners aside, I couldn't risk a slight stench on my first proper day in the presence of humans. I had been nagging Carlisle every second for the past week about going into town.

After he had seen my eyes go a faded golden colour, he relented, taking me out twice as much for hunting in preparation. I chose a white summery dress decorated with flowers that reached my knees and tied with a thin ribbon around my waist, and sat down on the bed, combing my gleaming hair (which had dried rather miraculously on my journey home).

The bed was for show only, in case Carlisle had an unexpected human wander into the farm, but I enjoyed it being there. It made me a feel a little less…immortal. I didn't want to be. Of course I didn't. I had dreams of falling in love with a decent man, have a family and settle down as two old people with a whole horde of grandchildren and a pet dog. But of course that wouldn't happen.

I was a woman frozen in time, so could not have a couple of children, let alone grandchildren, and thus I would never grow old. And as for the dog, it would serve only as comfort food when I was feeling a little depressed and slightly peckish. I sighed, and shook those thoughts from my mind.

I would only think of the time I would have tonight, and the milestone I was about to leap over. I jumped lightly off the bed, and skipped down the stairs, barely touching the floor. Esme was at the foot of the stairs, beaming at me.

"Jane, you look so beautiful." She came towards me and cupped my face in her hands. "I know you will make us proud tonight." I nodded and beamed back, breathing in her sweet scent to calm my nerves.

"Carlisle is sorting out the car," Esme said, and took my hand, leading me out the big oak door to the front drive. Carlisle looked up from the front of the car, and smiled.

"Jane, you look divine," He smiled and strode over to kiss both of my cheeks. I smiled back and began to get into the car. "Hold on, Jane," Carlisle started, as Esme rolled her eyes and got into the passenger seat, fiddling with her hair.

"We have to be serious now. Are you sure you're ready for this? Because we can take all the time you need, you know that." I squeezed his hand to silence his worries.

"Carlisle, I am ready. I've felt it for a while now, and I want to do this. I've brought that bit of Seth's fur with me; it still has a bit of the scent left on it. I will be fine. Unless you don't  
think-"

"Of course I do! You know I have every faith in you, Isabel Jane Cullen!" I frowned for a moment in confusion, and then it dawned on me. 'Cullen.' I grinned, as Carlisle slung his arm around my tiny shoulders, and I clambered into the back seat.

The cathedral stood in all its crumbling glory, just as I had left it, its stain-glass windows shining in the yellow lights coming from the streetlights all around. The small man who would preach to passers-by still sung his Christian hymns loudly, just as he did all that time ago when I would listen to him on my lunch break.

The tall black-and-white buildings towered over the cobbled streets, and the rows clung to them as if they were on the very edge of the world. The moon was out, and the stars blinked sleepily into life over the business of Chester.

I found I could not stop smiling as all the once hazy memories flooded back. Nothing had changed, the beautiful city still held what it had always held for me: Awe. I tugged Esme and Carlisle behind me as I moved effortlessly through the crowds towards the centre of town.

The old stone cross still stood by Bridge Street, and a young man played the piano by it, happy just playing, even with the surprisingly empty hat at his feet. I dug in my pockets and pulled out a crumpled ten-pound note, and dropped it in his hat. He looked down without stopping his playing and saw the money. "Thank-you-" he began, but stopped when he saw my face.

I looked down sheepishly; I still hadn't got used to my beauty. "Don't mention it," I mumbled, and turned to go down Foregate Street. I then realised he had only stopped playing when he saw my face, and clumsily picked up the piece where he left off. Esme chuckled behind me, and Carlisle pulled her closer to him.

"It's so beautiful," he whispered to her, kissing her ear softly. I flushed with pride for my beloved city, and then sighed. Would I ever find a soul mate like they had? My mood spoilt a little, I turned back to them. "Do you mind if I go off on my own for a while? All these memories are flooding back, it's a little overwhelming." Carlisle frowned and opened his mouth, but Esme got there first.

"Of course, Jane, we'll have a look around. Keep in touch." I patted my handbag where my mobile nestled and set off, hearing Esme quietly whisper; "She can do it, Carlisle. She needs to stand alone a little, she can do it." And I knew I could.

Since I had arrived, new waves of scents had hit me from all different directions, and I had felt nothing but a slight tingling in my throat. I smiled in triumph, and headed for the park. I jumped the black gates easily, and headed towards the bench where I had sat reading in my lunch breaks.

I sat, and recalled the sights that I had seen here. Couples lying on the sunlit grass together, happily tangled in each other's arms without saying a word. Fathers teaching their tiny children how to play football, with their new little footy boots and a shiny new ball being kicked around. Mothers taking their precious daughters out for a stroll in the pram with their friends, as they pointed out the squirrels when they darted past.

I also remembered groups of teenage boys kicking a football around as their girlfriends pouted on the sidelines. I sighed, remembering when I could go out in the sun and bask in the loveliness of life. I had taken it all for granted, and realised too late.

"Ooh, she's a pretty one, isn't she?" A dark figure strolled out from by the bushes to my left. He was clad in a black tracksuit, complete with a half-full can of cider and a cigarette smoked down to the butt. I rolled my eyes, and got up to walk away, but he blocked me, and wolf-whistled.

"Oi, lads, look at this bird!" Clones of the man who was blocking my way staggered towards me, clearly off their faces, and looked me up and down.

"Nice one, mate!"

"Bagsy seconds!"

"Nah mate, I'll fight you for it."

I pushed my way through, not using all my strength, but enough to get out of the circle without causing suspicion. Three of them blocked my way again, while two others grabbed hold of my shoulders. "Wow, love, you're cold! It's put me off now!" I pulled my shoulder out of their grasp.

"I really wouldn't bother, lads."

"Right! The bitch talks!"

"Ry', you grab her waist, get her on the floor."

I didn't even struggle. I couldn't. Anger was bubbling out of me, and bloodlust was melting my resolve into hunger. I knew if I struggled I would rip each and every head off their skinny, chav bodies.

I focused my thoughts on Carlisle, who had helped me so much these past few weeks. And Esme, who trusted me enough to go out on my own. I closed my eyes, calming myself. I heard the rustling of trousers being pulled down, and hot, bumbling fingers grasp my thigh, and did the first thing that came to mind.

I opened my mouth, and sang with as much fervour that I could muster. The notes shook out of my mouth, forming the strange language that I had yearned to hear again since the newborn days. I felt the hand go limp as the men heard my song, and I scrambled onto my feet.

The men stared open mouthed as the music fluttered around them, clearing their already empty heads of any coherent thoughts. I stared back for what seemed an eternity, not being able to stop the song even if I had wanted to.

I pulled my thoughts back to Carlisle, and felt a strange desire to go to the cathedral. I decided to go with the pull, so I turned to the men, uttered a command in the strange language, and raced to the cathedral, forcing my mouth closed, in case any curious human were to listen to the hypnotic melody.

I got to the cathedral easily, and saw Carlisle and Esme sat happily in the shadow of the monument, looking at the multi-coloured flowers in the garden. Esme was the first to look up, and frowned in concern as she saw my shocked face. She jumped to my side, as Carlisle echoed her expression.

"What happened, Jane? What's wrong?" I shook my head, still in a daze, and recounted the story. Esme gasped as I finished and held me close to her, rocking me and praising my resilience. Carlisle shook his head. "You didn't tell us about your gift, Jane." Esme frowned at him.

"Carlisle, she needn't talk about that right now." I smiled, lightly ducking out of Esme's mothering grasp.

"Don't worry Esme, I don't mind. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't think it was that big of a thing." Carlisle tutted in disbelief, and put a hand to his head.

"Not a big thing? It's a massive thing, even for one of us!" He put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me down onto the bench, staring at me intently. "So you say that when you sing, you can…you can hypnotise people who listen?" I nodded, and he copied slowly, lost in thought. "And when you concentrate while in song, you can sense where people are?" I thought a while, before nodding slowly.

"I think so, though I've only tried it once, and that was by accident." Carlisle's eyes narrowed, and looked over my shoulder, still thinking. Esme wandered around the gardens, reading the war memorial close by. "Can you try it again?" She asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. Carlisle's eyes snapped back to mine, her face also curious. My lips pursed as I thought.

I looked at Esme, and then Carlisle. "I'll try, but you might have to shut your ears!" Esme nodded, and her nimble hands flickered up to her ears and she closed them tightly. Carlisle began to do the same, but hesitated, and repositioned his hands back on his lap. "I'll resist it," he said, in answer to my questioning stare, "I want to experience it properly." I nodded, a little unsure, and began to sing again.

Again the rush of joy flowed through my empty veins and the strange language swooped out of my mouth like a caged bird flying free. Carlisle's eyes widened in surprise, then quickly narrowed as he fought the song. I saw Esme sway a little out of the corner of my eye, as her sensitive ears caught the faint melody through her fingers.

I concentrated on the people I wanted to find, and my mind swooped through the narrow streets to the police station. Handcuffs clanged together, as a confused group of chavs protested against their signed confessions and criminal records. I couldn't help but laugh, and the song rose a little in pitch and happiness.

Carlisle's eyes flickered as he fought the joyfulness slowly trying to get him to succumb, and Esme sat down lazily on the floor. Carlisle murmured incoherent words until they formed just one word. "Ed…Edward?" I nodded quickly, trying to make as much motion as possible to stop them from giving in to the music.

I thought of Edward's face from when I first saw him, and the few days I had spent staying in the house. My thoughts flew over the Atlantic, the scene changing from hot sandy deserts to the lush green forests of Forks. I zoomed in on Edward's presence, and saw him clearly, with the human girl Bella in his arms.

She lay asleep, and he was staring at her, unblinking. He suddenly sat upright quickly, and looked right at me. "Isabella Jane?" He whispered. I answered yes silently, and he nodded, a half-amused, half curious expression dancing across his face.

I zoned back out again, and came back to the cathedral, closing my mouth promptly, and giving Carlisle and Esme time to shake themselves fully into reality. Carlisle opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by his mobile phone.

He quickly snapped it out of his pocket and pushed it to his ear. "Hell…Hello? Edward? Yes? That is interesting. Yes, I'll get her now. Hold on. Jane?" Carlisle looked at me, and held the phone out to me. I took it and leaned into the phone, unsure of his reaction. "Hello?"

"Hello Jane. Can you please explain what the hell happened then? Oh wait. Strange. I can hear what you're thinking, yet you're so far away!" I heard him gasp in amazement, and laughed.

I laughed nervously with him, still unsure whether he felt any less cold towards me. He continued to laugh, and I realised my talent had overcome his suspicions of my character. I looked at Carlisle, then at Esme, and listened to Edward's laughter, and the quiet wonderings of Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett in the background, and felt, finally, I had been accepted somewhere I could truly love.


	9. Chapter 9

"OK, one more time."

"Are you sure? You're starting to look quite tired.

"As are you. Now just one more time, and we can go hunting for a bit."

I harrumphed; concentrating so hard beads of sweat could've been wobbling down my forehead, had it not been for the lack of moisture inside my frozen body. I opened my mouth and started to sing, trying to divert Carlisle's body from the hypnotic melody I sung in the strange language.

However, this was to no avail, as I saw Carlisle sway as the sound waves hit him with great force. I stopped with less difficulty than usual, due to an insane amount of practice, and Carlisle squatted down with his head between his knees. I rushed to his side, and helped him up. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. You don't have to do this, you know."

Carlisle shook his head. "Of course I will help you. We need to refine this incredible talent of yours, Jane. You're still keeping in touch with Edward, aren't you?" I nodded.

Since Carlisle and Edward had found out about my gift, they'd been encouraging me to keep in touch with everyone using it. It was getting very easy to get in touch with Edward, as with his gift he could meet me half way.

I had tried with Jasper, who had suddenly felt a rush of euphoria as I made contact with him. Carlisle had suggested trying it with a human, so I tried to get in touch with Bella. When it didn't work, I had panicked when nothing had happened, before while talking to Edward he told me he had the same problem. It thoroughly confused me, but, while following Edward's advice, decided not to dwell on it.

I let go of Carlisle's arm as he gained strength quickly, and we ran, more slowly than usual, back to the farm from the field we were practising in. We found Esme in the living room reading a book, which she hastily put down as she heard us enter the house.

She smiled warmly and embraced Carlisle before pecking me on the cheek tenderly. I beamed, and plummeted gracefully towards a large armchair. Carlisle took the opposite chair, studying Esme's book absentmindedly, while she perched on the armrest of his seat, twirling her long slender fingers through his white-blonde hair.

I smiled at the scene, happy to be in a loving family, rather than a ravenous army. I shivered at the thought, and my black eyes relished in the memories of the bloodlust. I looked at Carlisle, who seemed to get what I meant, and laughed warmly.

Esme squeezed his hand and crossed over to me. "OK, after hunting, can we do something I want to do? I've been stuck in on my own all day!" Carlisle laughed, and pulled his wife to him by the waist, kissing her temple. "Alright Esme, what would you like to do tonight?" Esme thought a little, before smiling at me. "Why don't we go and visit your parents, Jane?"

I froze dead in place. Was she serious? See my parents? Like this?! She read my expression, and quickly explained her statement. "Well, you can say America changed you, or something. And we're going back soon, please don't tell me you haven't thought of it before?"

She was right, I had thought of it constantly since we had arrived in England. I'd even tried to get in touch with them through her ability, and saw a fleeting glimpse of my parents sitting in the living room, watching the news in silence, before I pushed myself away, scared of the pain I would feel if I lingered.

Of course I had thought about what it would do to see my parents before I left, but I had also thought of the problems that would arise. I had left my home and vanished so unexpectedly, with no warning; what did my parents think had happened to me? Would they fall for the story I'd have to make up about my appearance? And would they let me go once I turned up? No.

It was too difficult to see them. Perhaps a phone call, or a letter, would help? I sighed, sad and unsure. I felt Esme wind her arm around my shoulders comfortingly, and I leaned into it with one sob that I couldn't suppress.

She shushed me soothingly, and I gained control. "Listen," she began, tightening her arm a little before releasing me, turning me to face her own kind face, "We will be there to help, we'll know how to handle it. But I couldn't live with myself knowing we had the chance to make peace with your parents and didn't take the opportunity; no one else in the family did. Please, let us help."

She caught my eyes hopefully, and I sighed in submission. She beamed and hugged me tightly. "Oh Jane, trust me, you won't regret it." I grumbled a little, but inside felt a light fluttering at the thought of seeing my beloved parents again, and warmth spread through my bones.

Esme let me go, and I quickly went up to my room to talk to Edward. I zoned into him as easy as breathing, and he picked me up with a quiet; "Hello."

"Hey, Edward. I'm just wondering if you could ask Alice to check my recent future, please? Especially look for anything with my parents in."

"I'll just go and ask her now. She's with Bella, at the moment." I saw in my mind's eye the scenery change quickly as he sped through the house up to Alice's room. I laughed quietly as I saw Bella wrestling with Alice and some hair straighteners.

Edward joined in and Bella stopped while Alice dropped the straighteners and flitted over to her brother. Edward put forward my question to her, and she looked around her. "Is she here now?" Alice asked, and Edward nodded.

Alice spun in a circle, and waved madly and happily. I laughed and waved back. Edward sighed. "Alice, she sees through my eyes, stop twirling around. And she's waving back." Alice laughed, and hugged her brother. "That's for you, Jane!"

I thanked her, and Edward passed it along. While Alice settled herself down to read my future, I saw Bella move tentatively over to Edward. Through Edward I could smell her lavender scent, and it made me happy to see it didn't have an effect on me anymore. Edward tutted, "Speak for yourself!" Bella looked at him in confusion, then looked at his glazed over eyes, and nodded in realisation.

"Hi, Jane." She smiled quietly.

"Hello, Bella." I replied, a little shy and embarrassed about the way I acted around her last time. Infuriatingly, Edward put my thoughts into words for her, and she smiled kindly.

"Oh, don't worry, Jane. All forgotten. I completely understand." I beamed happily, and asked Edward to give her a hug from me. He obliged, a little too romantically. Bella must've thought so too, as when she pulled away her cheeks burned and a little smile played about her face.

Alice then bounded into vision, and I turned my attention to her. Her face looked pleased, and I sighed in relief. "You still there, Jane?" She asked Edward. He nodded, and continued talking. "OK, well it looks pretty safe there. Esme and Carlisle are there, talking to your parents. It looks like an argument, but it was quite blurry. The next vision was you hugging your parents, and saying goodbye. And then the last one was a plane. So, overall, you look pretty happy. Is that OK?" Another sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"That's perfect. Thank you, Alice. I'll see you guys soon, we're going hunting now. Esme and Carlisle send their love. Send our love to everyone else. Thanks again!" The three said their goodbyes before I zoned back into the bedroom, feeling a lot better about the looming visit to my parents house after all this…change.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHEEEEEESE! CHEESE ALERT! RUN FOR THE HILLS, THE CHEESE BELLS ARE RINGING AND ALL IS DARK! You get my meaning?**

I found myself for the first time as a vampire, excruciatingly nervous. As our trio turned the corner into my old road, my fingers automatically began itching, and I at once set upon the task of biting my indestructible nails down to the flesh, obviously with no success.

Esme noticed my fretting and took hold of both of my shaking hands in her caring ones. "Breathe, Jane," she soothed, smiling confidently at me, "this will be fine." I nodded my agreement, unsure whether the opposite opinion would flood into my tone if I spoke an answer. We slowed down a little as we walked past the houses, in case anyone was looking at our blurred shapes. I felt a little dizzy as wave after wave of nostalgia smacked me in the face with increasing ferocity. I took slow breaths, calming myself as we neared my old house in the corner of the road.

Its creeping vines wound its way around a bedroom window. A light switched off in one of the other upstairs windows, and I blinked in surprise at the small sign of life inside the house. As we cleared the slightly sloping drive, and saw in the living room a couple watching television with emotionless expressions and statue-like stances, I choked out a sob and crashed down into Esme's awaiting arms.

"I can't do this!" I half yelled, while Esme tried to get me back on my feet. Carlisle crouched down beside me, his cool touch on my shoulder.

"Jane," he began, his emphatic eyes boring into my own, "you don't have to do this. No one is forcing you, but look at them in there. If you go to them now, and show them you're OK after all this time, you can turn their lives around. You're their eldest daughter, and they've fretted and missed you all these years." I looked to the window again, and saw with another wrench in my heart my sister, paler and thinner than I remember, who used to torture and tease me constantly, with her sparkling blue eyes ringed with red.

I stifled another tearless sob, before getting slowly to my feet. Esme and Carlisle shouldered my slight weight to the door, and Carlisle knocked politely on the door. The three of us straightened up out of habit, as we heard a slight shuffle of feet heading towards us. My mum opened the door slightly, and her eyes narrowed as she took in Carlisle and Esme. "We're not interested in anything you have to sell this time of night, so I suggest you-" She stopped abruptly as she took in my face. "Isabel?" She whispered, her hand fluttering to her beating heart. I could have died again.

"Yes." I replied, almost as quietly as her. "Isabel Jane?" She repeated, and I laughed softly, willing just a little amount of tears to fall from my golden eyes. She joined in my laugh, and embraced me fiercely. Almost every fibre of my being went into the hug back, but a little of me remembered to cover up my ice cold skin and check my strength. I sensed rather than saw Esme's hand reach for Carlisle's. My mum pulled away from me after a long while, tears glistening down her cheeks.

"My God, Harry! Come and see!" I heard my step-dad stride over to the door, no emotion seeping into his face until he took in my face.

"Isabel? Isabel! What…How…No!" He laughed, ecstasy, confusion, anger all etched across his face consecutively. I smiled lightly, taking care not to show my venomous teeth. My mum ushered us all inside, and Carlisle and Esme stepped towards the wall lithely, giving me and my family a moment. My mum continued hugging me, until she couldn't breathe from my iron grip.

"You've gotten so strong!" She congratulated, which I found a little amusing, "Where have you been all this time?" That was when speech failed me. I did my best to hide my hesitation from my parents, but I could do nothing to stop them from noticing the slight glance at Carlisle. My mum's eyes narrowed, looking at Carlisle and Esme, standing in the corner.

"Who are you? And where have you been with my daughter?" She asked, a note of venom infecting her voice. Carlisle smiled warmly, which no one could resist calming down for.

"Hello, Mrs Norris, my name Is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife, Esme. We took your daughter in when we found her, and she's been living with us, receiving as much love as we give our own teenage children." My mum's eyes went from little slits to wide open. "But you're American!" She exclaimed, "Are you saying she's been in…in America?!" I looked back at my mum sheepishly, and she roared in anger.

She grabbed my arm and slapped me across the face. It didn't hurt, but I covered my face and shouted anyway. My mum began crying again, and Harry pulled her into a big bear-hug, glowering a little at Carlisle and Esme, confusion and hurt aimed at me whenever his glance wavered. I straightened a little, moving tentatively over to my mother. "Mum, I'm so sorry. Mum, please-"

"Just tell me why you left, Isabel? What was so bad here?" To this I had no answer, I just stood there, my mouth hanging open. My mum sobbed a little, and I closed my mouth, sadness filling up every pore in my skin, every cell in my body. "Nothing was wrong with here, mum! I couldn't have asked for a better home, a more loving family, a more perfect life!"

"Then why break my heart, Isabel? Why do this to us?" I wished more than anything that I could cry at that moment, but nothing in this life or any other could have done it, so I hoped my perfected face would convey every single snivelling emotion I felt in my wretched mind.

"You know the worst part of it is is that," I said, quietly, my voice breaking a little, "I thought it wasn't perfect. I wanted fame, I wanted to sing, and make my life perfect to help my family. I thought that if I could sacrifice my family now, I could be reunited with you along with a better life. I realise how selfish I was, now. And I'd give anything to take any of the hurt I caused you back." I paused, the words flowing out of my mouth like the music I adored to sing. "But I wouldn't take back anything I have done all this time. I have met the most amazing family, and I have had a brilliant time, albeit the absolute underlying misery I've suffered from missing you. I've loved you this whole time, and the only reason I didn't keep in touch was because I was so ashamed, and so afraid that you would hate me."

My mum 'tsked' a little at that, and shook her head, but I continued, "I know that everything I've done to you is so wrong, and I wouldn't expect any forgiveness. But if I could leave with your blessing, I would be eternally…eternally grateful." I registered the irony in the last sentence, but didn't acknowledge it.

My mum looked up at me with a fearful expression. "You're leaving?" She whispered, letting go of Harry, and clutching at my black coat sleeves. I looked at the floor and nodded, ashamed once again. I could no longer hear her breathing, and I looked up to check she was OK, her crestfallen face meeting my porcelain copy.

"You've changed, Isabel." She said softly, looking at my pale hands. "Not just in body, which I am amazed at, but in mind. You have matured, which I can only assume is the doing of your…friends." She nodded towards Carlisle and Esme, who made a point of looking away. Harry eyed them suspiciously, before dragging his arm across my shoulders and leaning on me comically. "Well, Isabel, you're not going just yet, sit down and talk to us, and I'll make a cup of tea." I made a point of declining, but he was already gone.

I sighed inwardly as I made a point of bracing myself for expelling the tea later on in the evening. I saw Carlisle and Esme do the same thing out of the corner of my eye. My mother ushered me into the living room, Carlisle and Esme taking up the rear. We all sat down on the leather couches, my mum turning the large television off on the wall. I routinely crossed my legs, which I could vaguely remember doing in my human days.

Carlisle took the opposite sofa, and Esme settled lightly down next to him. My mum took the seat next to me, sitting as close to me as possible. I could smell her sweet scent all about me, but it didn't even conjure up any hunger in me, just homesickness.

At this point Harry came in with a pot of tea and five mismatched mugs. He settled down on the one remaining sofa and scrutinised the Cullen's intently. "So, you've been looking after Isabel all this time, have you?" He asked, a hint of sceptic in his voice, "How did you find her?" I looked at the couple opposite me, bewildered as to what their answer might be. Luckily Carlisle seemed to have thought of this, and said calmly, "Oh, well we found Isabel just near our home, outside of Seattle, in a place called Forks. There had been a lot of serial killings going on in the city, and Isabel had come out of the city to avoid it." My mum looked at me, proudly.

"Clever girl! I know you can take of yourself!" She beamed, and I laughed softly. Carlisle grimaced, as the reality of the tale retold itself in our minds.

"Yes, she was, however she had sold her apartment for not nearly enough money she could have, and was left homeless," my mum's once proud expression suddenly changed to a disgusted one.

"Stupid girl!" She spat, and shook her head. I stifled a laugh, and Harry pulled a face at me from behind her. Carlisle responded warmly,

"Yes, that's what we told her. Anyway, she was busking in Forks when we came across her. We invited her into our home until she could find a place to stay, and it wasn't long before we took her in properly. All of our children are runaways that we have adopted, you see, and our heart broke to see her alone again." Carlisle concluded his slightly fabricated tale to put a hand on Esme's knee. My mother noticed the movement, and her eyes softened.

She looked down at her own hands on her lap. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter," She said, a grateful smile playing on her lips, "I can't tell you how grateful I am that you provided my daughter with a place to stay. You truly must be angels." The couple looked at each other, and I smiled at the couch. My mother mistook this for embarrassment, and laughed. She looked at my face closely, as if memorising it. "But look how much you've changed, Isabel! I can't explain it!" My eyes darted down to the floor before reaching back up to her gaze.

"Well, you know how it is, mum. America; land of opportunity, perfection. Maybe it's a placebo or something. Maybe Cheshire was holding my true potential back or something!" I laughed awkwardly, averting any gazes aimed at me. I heard a silent sigh escape from Esme's lips. My parents didn't hear it, and decided to buy my garbled explanation, not continuing the subject.

My mum turned back to the Cullen's, a business-like look smoothing onto her features. "Now, Mr and Mrs Cullen,"

"Please, call us Carlisle and Esme."

"Carlisle and Esme, you do know that if I am to allow my daughter to stay with you, it is with strict rules I allow this, regardless of her maturity and age." Harry cringed at my mother's imitation of Esme's perfect bell-like voice, and I stifled a laugh. Esme held any emotion in, and leaned forward in her seat towards my mother. No one could ignore the slight rigid pose my mother adopted as she did so. "Mrs Norris,"

"Please, call me Erin."

"Erin, may I assure you that we will make it our top priority to make sure that Isabel is happy and comfortable in our home and family. We will abide by any rules you provide us with the utmost respect." My mother nodded, and little at the reassuring tone Esme used.

"Very good. Well, you must make sure that Isabel writes or calls as often as she can, at least once a week. I've lost her once, and I'm not going to lose her completely one more time." My heart twisted into a tight knot as I registered her words, and Esme nodded. "Done," she said with a smile, "Next."

My mother smiled, "OK, Harry and I will provide her with enough money to buy a ticket home and a least a week's accommodation in a hotel, in case she need use it. Although I feel I can trust you, you understand I have to take the utmost security with my daughter." Esme smiled once again.

"Of course, Erin, that will be no trouble at all." Again my mother smiled, and she began to relax properly with Esme's agreements. "OK, and finally…she must always be allowed to pursue singing. I will not allow that to fade away." I could have danced around the room in ecstasy, but I settled for a brilliant smile at my mum. She smiled at me wearily, pride, sadness and faint bewilderment echoing throughout the smile. Esme laughed gently, "Carlisle and I, no, the whole family agree with that. She has a…a talent."

As we were leaving the house, a few hours later, I heard a faint patter of feet on the stairs, and saw my younger sister clad in green pyjamas standing on the stairs. "You think you would go without saying goodbye?" She yelled, flinging herself into my arms.

She gasped a little as I caught her easily, until I made a show of buckling under her 'weight'. "You, Karen? Never! Besides, would you ever let me?" She laughed euphorically, and wrapped her arms around me in a death grip. I heard Carlisle and Esme's silent laughter at the show, and my mother's stifled sniffs.

I felt so happy I had made my peace, and everything had gone so smoothly. Although I felt guilty at not telling the entire truth, I knew it was for the best, and for my family. At last I could put aside the agonising shame that clung to me all this time. I set my sister down, kissed her lightly on both cheeks, ignoring the slight shiver she tried to suppress from my touch, and said farewell to my family; the way I should have done the first time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, I'm reaaaaally sorry i haven't updated this story, or Sing Songs in my Head. Recently just started Sixth Form, and it is an actual minefield of work! Anybody know how to do Bach four part harmony? Anyone?! Anyways I'm off to do that now, hope you like this :) xx**

The plane journey was much more comfortable than the previous one. Knowing I had my parent's blessing, I was excited to go back to America, and to the other Cullen's. I dutifully took the free water and other snacks on the plane, to make myself appear normal on the long flight, and excused myself to go to the 'bathroom' every now and again.

I sat with two strangers, as we booked the tickets the day before, and couldn't get seats together. Well, some of us could. I glared at Esme and Carlisle sitting down the opposite row from me, who were both too busy watching the telly, uninterested. I studied the two people sitting either side of me. One was a small blonde haired woman, with bright red lips and a business-like expression. She would glance at me every now and again, and squirm in uneasiness. Either she was a little jealous of my new looks, or she felt the chill my skin gave off. Whatever she felt, I tried not to touch her or even glance at her, for fear of making her even more uneasy.

The boy next to me, however, caught my attention. He kept staring at me, frowning intensely, as if trying to figure something out. He would look away each time I caught his eye, but I felt whatever he felt immediately.

How could I forget the dark brown hair, and the pale green eyes? It was blasphemous not to remember them.

Daniel.

I winced at the thought of him not being able to remember me, but I kept the thought of his betrayal right up in my mind at this point, to stop me from giving away my identity. It was an ordinary night out; Daniel was playing a gig with his mates, and had recently told my best friend to turn me down on his behalf.

He didn't want to the ruin the friendship, though of course it's never the 'friendship' that gets in the way. It serves only as a little excuse. I hadn't thought about it in a long time; I couldn't. But now I had to muster the memory forth just to stop me from kissing him right there and then. My friend had come over to me, trying to be a good friend, I am sure of that, and told me that the real reason was that he couldn't imagine having sex with me.

My blood boiled, and I glowered at him the next time he glanced over. What was that supposed to mean?! My respect for his talents, and his beauty crumbled in one utterance. I looked at him now only with irritancy. How could he humiliate me like that? I took a deep breath, and concentrated at looking over the woman's shoulder out of the window.

Later on in the journey I deduced that Daniel was on holiday with his family, and his newest girlfriend; Danielle. I shivered in disgust, luckily too minute for Daniel to notice. I mean, how cliché; Daniel and Danielle. A match made in Heaven! My empty, redundant stomach seemed to want to turn itself inside out at the sickly sweetness of the relationship.

At that moment I nearly laughed in joy and exasperation as I realised my two year crush on Daniel had completely evaporated. I suppose my extra sensitive vampire heart was too in-tune to fell anything for him anymore. The plane journey ended with ease, and I jumped up readily to collect my bags, when a light tap on the shoulder ruined my exultation. I turned around slowly, looking at Daniel's red cheeks.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry if this sounds a bit weird, but are you...you are Isabel Jane, aren't you?" I frowned, looking confused.

"I'm sorry? I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

"Really? You look the same as someone I know; I could've sworn you were her. I've memorised her face by now-"

"Oh really? Well I suppose you didn't do it that well did you?" I whipped around, and stormed out of the now empty plane as fast as I could go. Daniel, unfortunately, struggled to keep up with me.

"Please, wait! Perhaps you are related to her? Please don't keep me in the dark!" He panted down the stairs as I flew down them easily, before I spun round to face him, catching him off guard and making him stumble.

"Look, mate, I'm sorry if you miss this girl or whatever-"

"Yes, I do, a lot."

"-But I'm simply not that girl." Anymore, I added on in my head, but continued to proceed with my taunting.

"Maybe it's someone you messed around or something, I don't know, but seriously, can you stop following me? If you have messed her around I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want you following her around, right?" I don't know why I was saying it; it was just all coming out. Well, this was probably the only time I was going to say it.

"I knew you were Izzy! Please, Isabel, I'm so sorry. But my God, you've changed loads!"

"Isabel? Sorry, doesn't ring any bells. Please leave me alone."

"Alright...well if you see her, tell her I'm sorry!" He winked at me, before walking faster to catch up with his girlfriend. Cocky bastard.

"Oh don't worry, I'll tell her if I see her. Doubt she'll take it though." I raced past him, grabbing at the chance to get the last word, before finding Carlisle and Esme, and leaving Daniel gobsmacked and humiliated behind me.


	12. Chapter 12

**OK Guys, I might let this story lie low for a bit, depending on my mood. I have good vibes from my other story, Sing Songs in My head. Plus I have yumminess feelings from a new one i've started, about the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I've written the first chapter, but depending on my work load I might not get that up for a while, lest I give any interested people false hopes on speedy updates! Anyway, enjoy this chapter, homez.**

The car slowed easily into the drive, almost as if it hadn't been racing down the long path to the Cullen house at lightning speeds. Jane was excited to see the family in a different light to their last encounter, and was eager to prove herself worthy of their welcome. As she reached for the door handle, Carlisle placed a gentle hand on Jane's quivering shoulder.

"Now, you know Bella and Edward are planning their marriage right now, and that Edward is…doting furiously on Bella." He paused and threw a glance at the shiny black sports car parked awkwardly in the drive. "I'm just saying, don't be disappointed if they do not at first take much notice at first."

Jane nodded understandingly, preparing herself for the shadows of the house while the white wedding took place. She didn't mind. She was happy staying to one side, especially after all the trouble she'd caused.

Jane took a deep breath, and opened the door onto what could have been described as the euphemistic dandruff factory. The whole house was decorated in white flowers and silk. It was a blinding sea of snow and baby seal. Jane could've thought of nicer imagery, but she was much too stunned to think clearly/sanely.

She wandered through the empty halls, the only sounds reaching her ears were the agitated shrieks from Alice, who was undoubtedly the perpetrator of this death by snow blindness. "Edward, it's too late, anyway! I've already ordered all the flowers, and I know that they are Bella's favourites!"

"She's right, Edward, lilies are my favourite, and-"

"You see, Edward, you see?! That is why; I am the self-appointed wedding organiser! For God's sake, why do I even bother explaining? I my as well do it all myself!" She walked off into her room, muttering to herself as the door slammed.

Jane's attention was turned to the giggling couple walking down the stairs, arm in arm. Edward affectionately smoothed Bella's dark hair to fall delicately around her pale face, before cupping her chin in his hand. Jane smiled at the love shared between the two, happy for them, rather than jealous of what she could have had with Daniel.

She retrained herself from running up the stairs to meet them, and before long, both sets of eyes turned to her. Bella smiled widely, replacing her shy exchanges in Edward's head with genuine happiness, while Edward nodded his head warily, not hiding his attempt at hugging Bella protectively to him.

His eyes travelled over Jane's head, and creased into a smile as he clapped eyes on his parents. He made to move away from Bella, but as he remembered Jane standing in the middle of the white hall, he brought her along with him. Jane winced a little, though of course she'd expected it.

She stepped back a little, leaving the two couples room to embrace. Edward looked at her apologetically, and Jane breathed exaggeratedly in, filling her nostrils with the smells about her. She felt her throat burn a little, but shrugged towards Edward, who had become slightly rigid, his eyes popping out of his head.

Jane laughed, and moved backwards a little more, while Bella tried to suppress giggles at her fiancé's unnecessary protectiveness. Edward frowned, and bared his teeth playfully, before releasing Bella and moving forward to greet his parents. Bella, meanwhile, walked straight over to Jane.

"It's so good to see you again, and so changed!" She smiled, and hugged her tentatively. Jane beamed, amazed and ecstatic over the welcome. "It's brilliant to see you, too, you look fab! How are the wedding plans coming on?"

"Wedding plans? Oh you mean the ones Alice has. We're not allowed to see them, because the ones we do see are always argued over, Alice usually winning of course!"

"Well, you have to give it to her, she's not bad at this organising thing."

"Not bad?! Not bad?!" Jane and Bella looked up the stairs to see a fuming Alice storming down the stairs. "Absolutely perfect for the job, more like it! You've been back ten minutes, Jane, and already you are intent on ruining this! I will not, nay, I shall not allow it!"

She flew at Jane faster than, well, fast enough so Bella didn't see it coming. Alice bowled the human over as she hit Jane with the full force. Alice and Jane hugged each other furiously on the floor, as the rest of the Cullens rolled their eyes, and Bella nursed her coxes.

Jane beamed at the reception, as Alice took her by the hand and led her up the stairs. "OK, for education purposes only, I am allowing you to see my plans for the wedding, for the sole reason of learning your tastes. This way, if you please." Alice pushed open the door to her room, which was littered with papers and fabrics, all the cliché whites and silvers.

Alice pushed a handful of papers into Jane's hands, and motioned for her to leaf through. Jane quickly did so, and handed them back. "So?"

"They're very lovely, but may I make a suggestion?"

"…Yes?"

"I think maybe you could step away from traditional wedding designs. You know, go a little more chic, using different colours than just…white?"

"…Get out."

* * *

Jane stumbled out of the room, which slammed behind her, jolting Bella and Edward out of their eavesdropping positions outside. They looked at Jane eagerly, who shook her head. "Happy wedding day guys." Their shoulders slumped.


	13. Chapter 13

**Aloha! Exams are looming, and I am having a bit of a mental breakdown, and really should be revising. However, I felt guilty that I haven't updated this in a long long time, so this is it for a while, I think! Hopefully enjoy :)**

Jane easily settled into the Cullen life, including all the various shrieks, laughter, and tears when combating Alice and her manic plans for marriage domination. Jane usually stayed out of the way, after proving her modernised view on marriage design, and creating an enemy out of her short-haired sister.

She got on well with all of her siblings, Rosalie included, who enjoyed bitching about how she would have organised the wedding. Emmett had finally found a match to his strength in the newer vampire, and Bella was Jane's new shopping companion, although they tried to steer clear of Seattle. Edward quickly felt at ease about Bella being around Jane, and he and Jane continued to develop their psychic abilities. Throughout the months she was at home with the Cullen's, she even managed to sing as beautifully as she did when being able to control people, without actually exacting any control over anyone. Jane was exceedingly happy with this, and it wasn't long before Bella approached her nervously.

"Hi, Jane, are you OK?"

"Not too bad, thanks, Bell, you?"

"Oh, yeah, not bad…" Bella shuffled her feet, inspecting her Mary Jane's for a while before opening her mouth.

"Well, I've been listening to you sing. You don't control people with it? I mean, you can choose now, right?"

"Well, it makes no difference to you, I'm guessing!"

"No, I guess not, but it doesn't affect anyone else, either. But, anyway, I wanted to ask you something…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm wondering, could you sing at my wedding?"

Jane was stunned, she couldn't speak for a long time, and Bella started hopping from one foot to the other.

"Listen, you don't have to, if you don't want to-"

"How could you even think I wouldn't? I would love to!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! I just wasn't sure whether you'd want me to, that's all!"

"Now why would you think that?"

"Well, I don't know. I just think, like, erm, I'm kinda not part of the family yet, I don't know." Jane was thankful she couldn't blush, but her expression could not have been hidden, and Bella laughed at her attempt to smother the embarrassment.

"Oh, Jane! Of course you're part of the family! You're already my sister, Isabel Jane Cullen!" Jane felt the invisible tears pricking at her eyes again, and instinctively wiped them away, hugging Bells fiercely. She felt the little taps of Bella's real tears on her bare, pale, dead shoulders, and for once she didn't care that she was a dead, dangerous thing so close to a living breathing thing. All she cared about was that this living, breathing thing regarded her as a sister, and this sister was getting married.

"You're sure you know the lyrics to that middle section, Jane?" Rosalie fretted, twisting little curls in Jane's hair, as Jane in turn smoother down the skirt of Rosalie's dress. "Fret not, Rosa, I've got them down!" Jane smiled as she took in Rosalie's beautiful appearance.

"I'll try not to upstage the Bride!" Rosalie smirked, before seating herself in front of the grand piano. Jane rolled her eyes before taking her place by her side, and opening her mouth to sing. She worked hard to keep her 'gift' under control, as the guests turned to gape at her.

She felt a little guilty as her hearing informed her of the Bride approaching the staircase, so she used a little influence to get the guests looking the right way. Their gasps of adoration compelled her to look at her sister, and the very sight of her took her breath away, and even with Rosalie's warning, she almost forgot her lyrics.

Bella smiled fleetingly at the two girls at the piano as she passed, and the ceremony began with her fiancé gazing at her adoringly.


	14. Chapter 14

The ceremony took place smoothly, and Jane was at ease surrounded by so many pulsing veins and beating hearts, even though Carlisle had hold of her delicate hand the whole time. Bella genuinely looked absolutely breathtaking, and the vows were so beautiful.

Jane's eyes pricked as the groom kissed the bride, and was glad that no tears could come and ruin her minimal makeup. As the congregation were ushered back to the Cullen household, Carlisle whispered for Jane and the others to go and feed before the closeness of the dances came.

I killed a small rabbit without mess and returned within fifteen minutes, with the only tell tale sign of my adventure being the mud on the bottom of my heels, which I cleaned quickly, and my golden eyes shining more brightly than before.

Being the only single Cullen, I had the most male attention of the night, yet I said no to most, choosing a few only to show I was making an effort. Truth of the matter was, while I was glad for my sister's happiness, I was melancholy with my sudden loneliness (I know, that would usually equal flattery at the male attention, but guess what, I'm weird).

Edward came and sat with me after a while. "What's wrong, sister?" He asked, draping an arm around my shoulders. I leant into him, "Nothing, brother, I'm just thinking." He said nothing more, waiting for me to elaborate, but when I didn't, he sighed and squeezed my frame a little.

I smiled at him, staring after his wife. "I'm really happy for you two, Edward. Truly I am. I couldn't wish for a better couple to be a part of my life."

"Don't let Rosalie hear you say that, she'll be wanting a competition!" I laughed softly, before he continued. "Jane, I'm sorry I didn't trust you with Bella before. I know you aren't a danger to her, but I doubt even myself with her at times, and I just want you to know that I love you. If you could feel what I feel for Bella, you'd understand."

"I do feel what you feel for Bella." I said calmly, while Edward once again waited for me to elaborate. This time I did.

"I have a theory for what my gift's all about," I started, trying to phrase it correctly. "When I sang, I mean before I was changed, I could see what I did to people when I sang, whether it be astonishment, disgust, or whatever. Now, I think I feel what people feel when I sing, and even before I could always feel that whatever I sang, I could manipulate people's emotions with the notes, the words, the passion that I felt. And now I can both feel and control people's emotions and actions with the simple passion that is music." Edward nodded, seeming to understand what I was saying.

"And with me? How is it that we can talk to each other?"

I paused, again collecting my thoughts. "Well, I think that when you read my mind, we kind of make a connection with both of our gifts, so when I reach into your mind, you reach into mine, and we sync. Do you get it?" Edward's lips twitched a smile, and nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but stiffened as he felt something different echo in his mind.

Both of our gazes flicked over to Bella and one of the larger wolves at the battle: Jacob. Edward rose as quickly as he could without suspicion and moved over to the couple. I leaned forward to watch what was happening, and I got Jasper's attention to try and calm the situation, as I felt the pulsing mind's of everyone in the room filled with either anxiety, fear or anger.

I felt the calm descend, as Edward sensed and ushered Jacob and the other Weres out of the room. I rose and floated out of the room in silence, humming as I went to try and keep Bella from harm as the wolf tried to escape from Jacob's mind. I felt a fiery grip on my arm and a terrible smell fill my keen senses.

I turned to see a large werewolf looking down at me. "New Cullen, I think it's probably best if you leave them to it. Jacob would never hurt Bella, so you don't need to protect her." He also wore a grimace on his face. It seemed that he was not the only foul smelling thing around here, at least to a werewolf. My instincts told me to hate him, but I forced a smile as I eased my arm out of his grip as gently as I could.

"If you're sure, werewolf. Alice has updated me on the…ah, the situation. My name is Jane, what's yours?"

"Callum."

"You weren't at the battle with Victoria."

"I'm a recent wolf."

"A bit of a late bloomer, right? You must be twenty, twenty-one?"

"Eighteen. I'm big for my age."

"No kidding." He loomed over me, and his dark eyes bored into mine.

"How old are you, then, vamp?"

"Seventeen."

"Perfect. Do you fancy dancing?"

"I'm not much of a dancer, and anyway, you'd dance with a vampire?"

"Take it as a compliment I chose to dance with this particular vampire."

"Go on then."

He led me to the dance floor, and while I was sure he was trying to distract me from Bella and Jacob, it was still nice to dance with someone who didn't just want to so he could show his mates he bagged off with a fitty. Being a vampire, you sometimes miss feeling a little bit vulnerable and protected, as who needs to be protected when you can crush a diamond into sand with one hand?

Callum wasn't human, and he was on par on me with strength and agility, but he wasn't as hard and, well, dead as a vampire. So I enjoyed the song while it lasted, then surprisingly the next one, and then the next one, and then half of the next one, where we broke off when the smell got too unendurable.

I flitted upstairs to layer on some perfume, and he followed me to get some of Emmett's (Not that he'd be happy with a wolf stealing his deodorant). When we came down we sat on opposite ends of a table and talked until the end of the night, when Bella and Edward sped off to into the night.

I cursed myself for not taking better care of her, but finding out nothing but strong words had been passed between the two of them was a comfort to me. I wandered back inside, where Callum joined me at the table, closer than I thought both of us could bear.

"What's left of my pack are leaving now, most of them took off with Jacob, but I…well, I didn't."

"I can see that."

He smirked at me, and brushed my cold hand with his hot one.

"I'd like to see you again, I think."

"Me? The vampire? The enemy?"

"I wish you weren't so sarcastic with me, Jane! Yes, I would like to very much see the vampire, the enemy again!"

I felt a nonexistent blush, my confusion evident on my face. "Well, I'd like to see you again, too."

"That's great, shall I meet you at neutral territory? Maybe the diner, two days from now?"

"Hmmm, depending on the weather, yes. Here's my number if it's too sunny." He smiled as he noted it down on his hand, both of us thinking about the ridiculousness of the situation. We both stood, and Callum gathered a breath to lean in and kiss me on the cheek, and my eyes flicked to the floor.

I felt jealousy flickering in every adolescent boy's mind as I latched onto the music that was playing in the background. I smiled shyly at him as he pulled away, and he nodded his head, before turning back to his frowning pack. As he met them, I had to stifle a laugh as they all retched at my smell that had sank into his clothes and hair.

I had a feeling my family would react the exact same way.


	15. Chapter 15

Jane was not expecting herself to be so impatient throughout those three days, but she found herself checking the clock with a sudden obsession throughout the sleepless night before her meeting with Callum.

She didn't tell Carlisle or Esme, instead swearing Alice to secrecy. Although her family were on good terms with the pack, she still didn't think her involvement with one of them would result in tea and crumpets over at the folk's house.

Jane admitted to herself that even she thought the friendship was…well; it wasn't the smartest of things to do. Still, she waited impatiently for what their next meeting would bring.

Out of habit, that morning she pulled back the curtains, and grinned at the lack of fine weather. A heavy drizzle swam down the windowpanes, and thick dark clouds stole any chance of sunshine from the hopes of many human inhabitants of Forks. She dressed in a dark blue long knit dress with leggings, to give the illusion of being affected by the cold.

Speeding out of the door without disturbing anyone left in the house, she grabbed the keys to her electric blue Ferrari and started the engine. Once clear of the house, she pulled over on the side of the road and sprayed herself with as many contrasting perfumes and body spray she had brought with her, to disguise her alien smell that her companion could not stand. Jane hoped that Callum had done the same, as she would not go to such trouble for a regular human friend.

She felt a pang of guilt at sneaking around her family. They had done so much for her, and she hated sneaking around them for such a trivial matter. Well, there'll be a way to make it up to them.

Starting the car again, she drove for twenty minutes until she reached the half deserted diner. Clearly, the locals would rather stay at home on such a horrible day.

She took a table for four, to make it less formal, then wondered why she cared. They were just friends, right? She didn't have to prove that to anyone, much less herself.

Callum disturbed her from her thoughts by opening the door loudly, practically filling the frame. He shook his black hair from his face, and huge droplets landed on the surrounding tables and ran down his tanned, thick neck. Great. Wet dog.

Jane couldn't help but notice the boy's whole face light up as he noticed her delicate hand waving from the corner of the room. He made to lope over to her, but stopped to take a quick glance out of the window before sitting opposite her.

"I guess you didn't tell your pack either." He shook his head, smiling a little ruefully.

"And you didn't tell your clan." Jane mirrored his smile in response, noticing he, too, had tried his best to cover his smell, but her keen senses picked up the disastrous consequences the rain had on his shoulder-length hair.

"How have you been?" He asked genuinely, a little crease in his forehead as he dared to lean closer. They had to masquerade as normal people.

"Well, thank you. Yourself?"

"Not so bad. Had a nice run in the woods before, so am needing something to eat." As though speaking a magic word, the waiter crossed over to them, a young guy of about twenty two, with tattoos all round his neck and hair pulled back in a ponytail.

From first glance, he looked as surly as anything, but when casting his eyes on Jane, his heart sped up, and he blinked several times.

Regaining a little composure and closing his gaping mouth, he approached our table. "What can I get you today, miss?"

Jane opened her mouth to decline, but took a moment to think about Carlisle's warning about their pretence. "Umm, can I please have the…the hamburger? But you'll have to help me, Cal, I'm not that hungry." She reached over to put her hand over Callum's, to try and convey what she was saying, and he nodded once.

The waiter realised Jane was accompanied, and his shoulders slumped. "And you?" He addressed Callum with none of the politeness he had offered Jane, even with viciousness.

Callum raised his eyebrows, and she noticed the waiter's eyes trail down and note her friend's huge biceps and large chest concealed under a drenched grey t-shirt.

"I'll have the hamburger too, with extra fries and extra salad, and a large Pepsi. Please." He gave the waiter a mocking smile, rubbing Jane's hand pointedly. The waiter gulped and averted his eyes, mumbled something and rushed off to the kitchens.

Jane slapped Callum's arm playfully. They bantered all through the meal, while skilfully shaping Jane's food into looking half eaten. She laughed at Callum's idiotic jokes, while he listened intently to little anecdotes of her years back in England.

Jane asked interested questions about pack life, and in turn, Callum asked about the clan. Eventually, Callum's phone rang, and noticing it was the pack-leader, Sam, took the call outside, where it had stopped raining, and unfortunately brightened up a lot.

Jane's phone played This Charming Man, by the Smiths, and she answered the call to a distressed Alice.

"Where the hell are you?" She hissed, and Jane heard the cheering from a televised football game in the background. "Do you know how sunny it is?"

"I know, Alice, I've just noticed."

"Well how are you going to get back? I bet you don't have a coat with a hood, do you?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly. What are you going to do?"

"Calm down, Alice, seriously. I'll sort it."

"You better. Do not glitter in front of anyone, OK?"

"I'm not an idiot, Ali, I'll be back soon."

She hung up, fretting a little as she had most definitely not thought of what to do. At that moment, Callum came in, and noticed Jane biting her lip and being generally distressed.

"Are you OK?"

"Do you realise how sunny it is out there? I can't disguise how glittery I am in that light!"

"Don't panic, Jane. Here." And with that, he had taken his large shirt off, and wrapped it round her shoulders and hair. A few looked at their exchange with odd expressions on their faces. Jane laughed,

"If I go out in that temperature, you don't wanna know what happens to my hair!" OK, it was a weak excuse, but the most stupid women in there lapped it up, pulling combs out of their bags or patting their hair and tucking strands behind their ears.

Callum slapped some notes down on the table and ushered Jane out. Luckily, she had parked close to the door, and Callum not far away. Jane unlocked the door and slid in easily, turning when she was in the shadows to smile at Callum.

"Thanks, Cal, you're my hero!" He grunted, and leant in to kiss her cheek. He lingered close to her, breathing freely despite their closeness, and caught her lips with his own.

The kiss was fleeting, and barely a graze, but it knocked Jane senseless, and she slumped in the car seat. Callum, too, was looking a little dazed.

"Jane, watch out. Your ankle is glittering." Jane laughed a little too hysterically, and pulled her leg into the car.

Callum stepped back so she could shut the door, and he stood motionless as she pulled away. Jane's giggles did not end until she had pulled up back at home.


End file.
